Data intelligence

In 2022/23, the BSL field has been introduced for reporting by providers in Scotland. This marks the first instance of some HE providers submitting this specific information. Survey completion and information returns have varied among staff, resulting in a notable percentage of data being reported as 'Not available.' Therefore, we advise caution when interpreting the BSL field for Scottish providers.

In 2021/22, the University of Edinburgh incorrectly reported the number of academic staff with a disability, showing an increase from 385 to 1,340. This discrepancy arose from an accidental data collection error categorizing 'No Known Disability' status as an additional disability. This was corrected for the 2022/23 return.

In 2022/23, the Open University changed its terms of employment for one category of academic staff; Associate Lecturers now hold a single permanent contract instead of multiple fixed-term contracts. This change led to an increase in permanent contracts from 1,125 to 5,585 and a decrease in fixed-term contracts from 4,670 to 170.  

For the 2022/23 return, coverage has been updated for the RELBLF and SEXORT fields, which became mandatory for providers in England and Wales but remained optional for providers in Northern Ireland and Scotland. Coverage for the GENDERID field has also been updated to exclude providers in Scotland. As this marked the first time some HE providers submitted this specific information, survey completion and the return of information varied among staff, leading to a notable percentage of data being marked as 'Not available.' Due to this, we advise caution when interpreting these data.

As some HE providers submitted information for these fields for the first time, there was variability in survey completion and information return among staff. Consequently, a significant proportion of the data was marked as 'Not available.' Given this, we advise caution when interpreting these data.